How do you organize your RPGs books?

[payn]

I’m a 6 in life generally, but I’m working on that. Though a number 4 when things are caught up.

 

[Furmyr]

Organize? I place them wherever there's room in my overcrowded home office. Should pack away some of the games I haven't touched in 20+ years so I can fit in more. Or tear down a wall to find a place for more shelves.

On my computer my pdfs are mostly organzied alphabetical by system. Though I do have a tendency to leave the files in my download folder for the longest time until I get the inspiration to sort em every 3-4 months.

 

[Desdichado]

Somewhere between four and six. Although I should point out that since relocating, a little while ago, I haven't had a permanent organization for my RPG stuff, so it's a little bit of a moot point.

 

[Thierry-Advent]

Some people order them by color, as they feel it's clearly the easiest and most effective way to organize books by far.

You do you, but not really. You need to remember which colour the book is to find it. Doesn't work for daltonians or colour blind people. Another examples, Numenera books are not the same colour. The player book is mauve while the setting/gm book is teal. What do you do then? 3.5 DMG is blue but the PHB and monster are red and brown. Where does the blue DMG go?

 

[Umbran]

5 - by utility.
I have a desk. My gaming bookshelf is next to the desk. Books are largely arranged by game engine, with the games I expect I am most likely to want to reference in the middle three shelves of the case, where I can most easily reach them while sitting at the desk. Materials I am least likely to need are on the bottom and upper shelves.

 

[TwoSix]

Organized? LOL

The bulk are in storage bins in my bedroom closet, and the most current ones I'm still browsing are scattered between my end-table by my bed, and bookshelves in my son's room and our living room.

 

[Thierry-Advent]

Organized? LOL

The bulk are in storage bins in my bedroom closet, and the most current ones I'm still browsing are scattered between my end-table by my bed, and bookshelves in my son's room and our living room.

I'll raise. I know someone who has RPGs books everywhere, on his wall to wall bookshelf, on the kitchen table, on the sofa, on the lazy-boy, on the toiler tank, in his work office, in the corridor which only 18" wide because of books shelves. He lives by himself. It makes it hard to visit or play at his house. He has to create stacks of books next the kitchen table so we can play. He calls it snowblowing the books. I haven't been there since Covid started.

 

[Ulfgeir]

By game, and where they fit... Have a full 180 cm tall Billy Bookcase, and a large stack on the on the floor...

 

[TwoSix]

I'll raise. I know someone who has RPGs books everywhere, on his wall to wall bookshelf, on the kitchen table, on the sofa, on the lazy-boy, on the toiler tank, in his work office, in the corridor which only 18" wide because of books shelves. He lives by himself. It makes it hard to visit or play at his house. He has to create stacks of books next the kitchen table so we can play. He calls it snowblowing the books. I haven't been there since Covid started.

If I lived by myself, I'd have a studio apartment with minimalistic furnishings, with one of the only flourishes a nice bookcase with all my RPG books prominently featured.

But I'm married with four kids, so my house is.... not that.

 

[Alas]

Librarian here! I organize mine by:

1. Publisher/Company (White Wolf, Evil Hat, TSR/WotC...)
2. Game line (Vampire, Werewolf, Trinity...)
3. Edition (1st, 2nd, 3rd...)
4. Sub-set (D&D's "Races of...", the environment books, campaign settings...)
5. Alphabetical by title (Pooka, Sluagh, Trolls...)

Though, that's for the bulk of the non-active collection. The books that are actively being used tend to end up in a bunch on or next to the gaming table itself.